Module 4 Flashcards
absolute monarchy
an authoritarian government headed by a hereditary monarch
anti-Semitism
hatred and prejudice directed at people of Jewish faith or origin
archetypal
classic; the example on which others are based
atrocity
an act of violence or cruelty viewed as exceptionally shocking due to its nature or extent
autarky
economic self-sufficiency
authoritarianism
an approach to government in which the leadership is not freely elected by, or accountable to, the people it governs
collectivization
the abolition of private property in favour of group or state ownership
coup d’état
the forceful overthrow of a government by a small group of individuals
cult of personality
a form of hero worship in which a leader is revered by followers as a model of perfection
dictatorship
an authoritarian system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a single person; autocracy
dissident
a person who disagrees with the government
emancipation
the freeing of enslaved or indentured people
eugenics
a largely discredited science of improving the human race through programs of selective breeding, sterilization, and euthanasia
glasnost
a Russian word meaning “openness”; used to describe a policy instituted in the late 1980s by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
Under glasnost, debate over government policies and greater government transparency was encouraged in the Soviet Union.
imperialism
a government policy that promotes the establishment of an empire, usually through military conquest
junta
an oligarchy formed by a committee of military officers
militarism
a government policy that promotes the development and maintenance of a powerful military in order to protect and promote a country’s national interests
minority tyranny or minoritarianism
a form of oligarchy in which the government is operated by, and in the interests of, a minority group within the population
oligarchy
an authoritarian system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a small ruling group or committee
paramilitary
an adjective used to describe a private army or unofficial militia
perestroika
a Russian word meaning “restructuring”; used to describe a period of economic reform in the late 1980s when the communist economic doctrine in the Soviet Union was questioned and modified
theocracy
a system of government in which religious leaders rule
totalitarian
a term used to describe a dictatorship or oligarchy that attempts to impose its control and ideological beliefs on all aspects of society
traditionalism
praise for, and promotion of, the values and achievements of the past
